Major fire at sawmill

A fire broke out at a sawmill in Sattel on Tuesday morning. Fortunately, no-one was injured but much damage was caused.
 
It was actually an employee of the Iten sawmill who discovered the fire at around 10.30 am in a basement area. He immediately alerted all his colleagues who were able to evacuate the premises safely.
 
When the local Sattel fire brigade arrived on the scene, it became immediately apparent that reinforcements would be needed, with firefighters not only from Unterägeri and Oberägeri duly summoned but also a brigade from Einsiedeln in the neighbouring canton of Schwyz, meaning that, in all, some 150 firemen were in attendance.
 
As a result of the fire, the road leading to Morgarten, Ägeristrasse, had to be closed, as did a nearby railway line. Only at 3.20pm was it considered safe for them to be re-opened. Such was the build-up of smoke that some firemen had to wear breathing apparatus and the evacuation of nearby houses was considered, though this proved not necessary.
 
As to the cause of the fire, a spokesperson of the Schwyz police force was unable to say, merely confirming it had broken out in a basement area where much sawdust was stored. A number of items of machinery kept there were also badly damaged. The proprietor of the business, Renato Iten, was unable to put a precise figure on the amount of damage. He was anxious that normal business be resumed as soon as possible.
 
This is actually the third time the sawmill has been affected by fire, two storage areas having been destroyed in June of 2000, with a silo fire two years ago leading to two people sustaining injuries.